New safe havens created in China and Vietnam for two of world’s most endangered primates

24/09/2009 10:57:07 Cao vit gibbon and Tonkin snub-nosed monkey given life line

September 2009. There is new hope for the survival of the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey and the Cao vit gibbon, two of the world's most endangered primates, with the designation of two new protected areas in Vietnam and China. Fauna & Flora International (FFI) has been instrumental in creating the reserves, which will protect the most viable population of the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey and the only known population of the Cao vit gibbon.

The Cao vit gibbon - The world's second most endangered primate
The Cao vit gibbon is considered the world's second most endangered primate and both species are in the top 25 most endangered primates. There are just 110 Cao vit gibbons and around 200 Tonkin snub nosed monkeys left in the world. Both species are listed as Critically Endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red

List of threatened species.
One reserve, in Khau Ca forest, Ha Giang Province, northern Vietnam, contains 90 Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys (scientific name: Rhinopithecus avunculus). The new 2000 hectare (ha) nature reserve also supports a relatively pristine sub-tropical forest with a wide range of other wildlife like macaques, lorises, small carnivores and rare plants species.

"This new reserve protects the most viable Tonkin snub-nosed monkey population and so represents the species' best chance for survival, "said Paul Insua-Cao, FFI's Vietnam

Primate Programme Manager. "FFI is proud to have helped to establish the protected area and congratulates the provincial government and local communities on their new nature reserve."

China reserve - Bangliang Nature Reserve
The other reserve, just across the border in China, more than quadruples the amount of protected forest for the Cao vit gibbon. The new 6530 ha Bangliang Nature Reserve, in Guangxi Province, is directly adjacent to Vietnam's Cao Vit Gibbon Conservation Area, which FFI helped to establish in 2007. These two protected areas together contain the world's last Cao vit gibbons.

"This increase in the amount of protected Cao vit gibbon habitat is a huge success for conservation in the region," said Luo Yang, FFI's China

Programme Manager. "FFI has been encouraging the local government to establish this new reserve ever since the species was discovered in China in 2006. The Cao vit gibbon currently lives mainly on the Vietnamese side of the border but it now has the chance to safely extend its population into China. The future for the species now looks much brighter."

Habitat loss is main threat
The main threat to both the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey and the Cao vit gibbon is habitat loss. They live in rainforests with unique and fragile limestone mountain ecosystems, which are suffering from the collection of firewood, livestock grazing, agricultural encroachment, all of which stem from poverty.

Community involvement
FFI engages with local communities to reduce the threats to the two primates. For example, simple and cost-effective measures such as providing villagers with fuel efficient stoves are helping to relieve pressure on the Cao vit gibbon's habitat. In addition, FFI has established community groups to patrol and protect the forest.

Unprecedented levels of cooperation between the Chinese and Vietnamese
The organization was a critical player in the creation of the two new nature reserves. The in-country teams worked with Chinese and Vietnamese authorities to ensure local people were consulted during the protected area planning process. In fact, the high level of public involvement has made the Chinese reserve a first-of-its kind in Guangxi Province. The teams also helped to bring about unprecedented levels of cooperation between the Chinese and Vietnamese in order to protect the rare Cao vit gibbon.

Recent discoveries
Projects to save the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey and the Cao vit gibbon have been part of FFI's Asia-Pacific programme since 2002. Surveys, led by FFI, discovered the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey population in Khau Ca forest in 2002 and then another population near the Chinese border in 2008. FFI also rediscovered the Cao vit gibbon population in Vietnam in 2002. The species was discovered across the border in China in 2006.

FFI will continue to support conservation in both new protected areas by monitoring biodiversity, facilitating community engagement, helping to improve local livelihoods, enhancing the local conservation authorities' skills and resources and also encouraging trans-boundary cooperation for the Cao vit gibbon.

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